Development of a Renewable Fuel (Hydrogen) Generating Facility for Transportation Infrastructure


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CAIT project no.: AEF-RU5179

Fiscal Year: 2009/2010

Status: Final

Rutgers-CAIT Author(s): Monica Mazurek, Ph.D.

External Author(s): David Pramer, Ph.D., Rutgers

Sponsor(s): Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Academic Excellence Fund

Summary:

This project is feasibility and design study to support the development of a renewable hydrogen generating facility for hydrogen fueled vehicles using the Rutgers Livingston Campus solar farm and an experimental field laboratory to support photovoltaic energy conversion and renewable hydrogen fuel as a teaching laboratory for graduate and undergraduate education in sustainable energy. This project advances carbon-free alternative fuel production for transportation and is a step forward in advancing sustainable energy technology. Sustainable energy for transportation has three central issues: oil, carbon, and growing global demand.  We address these fundamental issues with a Phase 1 design project which incorporates the Rutgers Livingston 7-acre solar farm now under construction with a renewable hydrogen/electricity generating facility connected reversibly to the grid. The goal of this renewable hydrogen/electricity vehicle refueling facility is to transition to a Phase 2 pilot research and testing project that will involve corporate partners and state government partners to test a small vehicle fleet powered by renewable hydrogen fuel. For large corporations and institutions in NJ, reducing aggregate green house gases and criteria air pollutants is essential for meeting current and future air emissions regulations and possible carbon tax and trade restrictions and quotas.  Highly efficient carbon management could result possibly in revenue generation in terms of carbon offset trading.